United Kingdom 
I need a little help and advice if possible. I have one section of a border in my front garden that is in full shade and goes up against my privets'. The drainage is extremely poor even through I have put loads of manure and sand in it on a regular basis to help drainage, but to no avail. I am looking for a hardy perennial that will look nice, smell nice, be no higher that 2ft but does flower - I don't care what colour it is, just something that will look nice and pretty in a small front garden and something the birds, bees and butterlies will like.
If you could possibly give me some suggestions on what to use that would be brilliant.
Thanks to everyone for your input, its been really helpful
Hi everyone, does anybody know if there is a variety of the Narrcissus plants/flowers which is a hardy perennial which won't need much sun and the soil in will go in is rather crap?
2 Apr, 2012
Answers
Hi,
I have a very shady part in my garden which gets hardly any suna at all. In this border I have planted the following.
Clematis "Princess Diana"
Leucanthemum x superbum 'Highland White Dream'
Helenium Moerheim Beauty (New this year so not sure how well it will do)
Rhododendrums
Hydrangeas
They all do extremely well and the highland white dream always looks stunning in the dark and gloomy corner.
2 Apr, 2012
have you thaught of a water feacture with running water and a very shallow end . the birds will love it to drink and bathe in but keep your privates away or youl scare the life out of them lol .
2 Apr, 2012
I smiled at that also, Bamboo, but I think that Carolyn is talking about her privet hedge.
2 Apr, 2012
i do hope so bulbaholic but everyone to there own . perhaps its a private privet hedgs lol . the mind boggles as to how said bush is trimmed lol .
2 Apr, 2012
A mahonia, which is evergreen, and has gorgeously scented flowers in the colder months might do well in total shade, but you would have to keep it well pruned to keep it so small, and if it is next to a privet hedge, it would probably need more than an ordinary amount of feeding and watering to keep it healthy.
2 Apr, 2012
Oh privet! I never thought of that... Mahonia aquifolium 'Smaragd' or Prunus 'Otto Luyken' are my suggestions for shade.
2 Apr, 2012
Erm, I think you might want to rephrase your question, or at least explain it a bit, specifically, the part where it says "goes up against my privates". I know what that means to me, and probably most other people, and its certainly nothing to do with gardening...and I can't figure out what you might mean in a gardening sense.
If the area you want this plant in is very shady, you're very restricted as to what you can plant there. Please clarify.
2 Apr, 2012